University of Konstanz
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Das Projekt OrChemSTAR : Strukturformeln durch Augmented Reality zeichnen lernen
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Pollinator Interactions of Native and Introduced Plants in Smallholder Tropical Orchards Across a Gradient of Anthropogenic Landscapes
No full textAim
Anthropogenic habitats commonly favour introduced species. However, there is little information regarding the responses of pollinators to native and introduced plants across anthropogenic landscapes. The main goal of the study is to investigate pollinator interactions of native and introduced plants across smallholder tropical orchards in Thailand, as these plantations are essential to local food security.
Location
Smallholder tropical orchards in Thailand.
Methods
We compiled data from four recent studies on plant–pollinator networks in 65 smallholder tropical orchards across Thailand. Using network analyses, we compared species degree (i.e., the number of pollinator species visiting a plant) and specialisation ( d' ) between native and introduced plant species, with the latter further categorised into non‐naturalised, naturalised and invasive groups. Analyses were conducted using linear mixed‐effects models (LMMs), treating individual plant species as the unit of analysis and incorporating orchard identity nested within study as a random effect. Additionally, we examined whether variation in surrounding anthropogenic landscapes (i.e., the proportion of agricultural and urbanised areas) and the proportional representation of introduced plant species influenced the structure of plant–pollinator networks.
Results
Overall, specialisation ( d' ) of the native plants was significantly greater than that of the introduced plants, while pollinators exhibited no preference towards naturalised or invasive plants over non‐naturalised ones. We found a decrease in species degree of native plants as well as connectance and linkage density with increasing proportion of anthropogenic areas, likely due to limited floral resources and nesting availability. However, we also found an increase in network specialisation ( H 2 ′ ) with a higher proportion of urban area.
Main Conclusions
Understanding the impact of land‐use changes with the presence of introduced plant species is important for predicting community stability of plant–pollinator interactions as well as for habitat management strategies. Surrounding natural habitat and important food plants should be preserved and promoted to maintain pollinator interactions in human‐dominated areas.publishe
Electrophysiological recordings reveal photoreceptor coupling in the dorsal rim areas of honeybee and bumblebee eyes
No full textMany insects rely on skylight polarization patterns to navigate their habitats. To perform this vital task, most insect species have evolved specialized ommatidia in the dorsal rim area (DRA) of their compound eyes, which are adapted to detect linearly polarized light in large patches of the sky. In this study, we conducted electrophysiological recordings of ultraviolet-sensitive photoreceptors in the DRA and other regions of the compound eyes in honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) to map their receptive fields (RFs). For both species, we report novel evidence for photoreceptor coupling, i.e. spatial summation, recorded in the retinal layer of the DRA. We explore spatial summation as a possible mechanism to increase the effective size of DRA ommatidia RFs, a crucial functional feature of the polarization compass.publishe
Considering homeowner acceptance of retrofit measures within energy supply network optimization
No full textA key factor towards a low-carbon society is energy efficient heating of private houses. The choice of heating technology as well as the decision for certain energy-efficient house renovations are made mainly by individual homeowners. In contrast, municipal energy network planning heavily depends on and strongly affects these decisions. Further, there are different conflicting objectives for finding optimal network designs, e.g., low carbon emissions opposed to low investment and maintenance costs. This work presents a framework for an energy supply network model that integrates these homeowner micro-decisions in the multi-objective optimization process to aid macro-level decision-making for energy supply network planning. Furthermore, numerical experiments are carried out in order to illustrate our framework. For that, an algorithm capable of solving such problems is presented.publishe
Projective Simulation in Action : Quantum-Mechanical Perspectives on the Problem of Agency
No full textThis open access monograph presents an in-depth study of the problem of how agency fits into the physical world. In particular, the authors focus on agency as a precondition of free will. They present a detailed and physically well motivated formal model to anchor their philosophical discussion. Coverage brings together perspectives from physics, computer science, and different branches of philosophy. The book describes the agency model of Projective Simulation, its physical realisability and its quantum extensions. It situates this model within the discussion of agency in philosophy and in Artificial Intelligence. In addition, the authors highlight the role of agency in Quantum Mechanics itself, recently stressed by the Bayesian-inspired interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, QBism. They provide a comprehensive exposition of Quantum Mechanics and a reflection on the embodied nature of agents. (Quantum) indeterminism turns out to be a key resource for Projective Simulation, and for agency in general. This establishes a novel connection between agency and phenomenology. Overall, the book provides a coherent picture of agents as persisting physical entities endowed with active capacities. Such an explanation does not necessarily settle the question of the actual empirical basis of our human agency. It does, however, show that a coherent notion of agency is possible within a modern scientific world-view.publishe
Existence and Regularity of Random Attractors for Stochastic Evolution Equations Driven by Rough Noise
No full textThis work establishes the existence and regularity of random pullback attractors for parabolic partial differential equations with rough nonlinear multiplicative noise under natural assumptions on the coefficients. To this aim, we combine tools from rough path theory and random dynamical systems. An application is given by partial differential equations with rough boundary noise, for which flow transformations are not available.publishe
Structures of a DNA Polymerase Caught while Incorporating Responsive Dual-Functional Nucleotide Probes
No full textFunctionalizing nucleic acids using DNA polymerases is essential in biophysical and biotechnology applications. This study focuses on understanding how DNA polymerases recognize and incorporate nucleotides with diverse chemical modifications, aiming to develop advanced nucleotide probes. We present the crystal structures of ternary complexes of Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase (KlenTaq) with C5-heterocycle-modified environment-sensitive 2′-deoxyuridine-5′-triphosphate (dUTP) probes. These nucleotides include SedUTP, BFdUTP and FBFdUTP, which bear selenophene, benzofuran and fluorobenzofuran, respectively, at the C5 position of uracil, and exhibit high conformational sensitivity. SedUTP and FBFdUTP serve as dual-app probes, combining a fluorophore with X-ray anomalous scattering Se or 19F NMR labels. Our study reveals that the size of the heterocycle influences how DNA polymerase families A and B incorporate these modified nucleotides during single nucleotide incorporation and primer extension reactions. Remarkably, the responsiveness of FBFdUTP enabled real-time monitoring of the binary complex formation and polymerase activity through fluorescence and 19F NMR spectroscopy. Comparative analysis of incorporation profiles, fluorescence, 19F NMR data, and crystal structures of ternary complexes highlights the plasticity of the enzyme. Key insight is provided into the role of gatekeeper amino acids (Arg660 and Arg587) in accommodating and processing these modified substrates, offering a structural basis for next-generation nucleotide probe development.publishe
Statistik über die Studierenden der Universität Konstanz. Studienjahr 2025, 1. Studienabschnitt (Wintersemester)
No full textDie Studierendenstatistik enthält die wichtigsten quantitativen Angaben über die im Wintersemester 2025, eingeschriebenen Studierenden der Universität Konstanz (Neu- und Erstimmatrikulierte, Rückmelder, Beurlaubte, ausländische Studierende). Sie gibt die Verteilung der Studierenden auf die Studienabschlüsse, die Fachbereiche und Sektionen sowie auf die Hochschulregion Konstanz wieder und zeichnet für einzelne dieser Kategorien auch die Entwicklung über die Jahre hinweg nach. Darüber hinaus enthält sie detaillierte, nach Fachsemester und Abschlusszielen aufgegliederte Angaben über die Studierendenzahlen in den Studienfächern der Universität.publishe
